# 119-hr-5655: No Shame at School Act of 2025

119-hr-5655, No Shame at School Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Omar, Ilhan [D-MN-5] (D-MN); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5655
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-5655
- Congress: 119
- Title: No Shame at School Act of 2025
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-09-30
- Sponsor: Rep. Omar, Ilhan [D-MN-5] (D-MN)
- Cosponsors: 45
- Policy area: Agriculture and Food
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**This bill would require automatic direct certification and anti-stigma protections** so more students get free or reduced-price school meals without being singled out. It also would change how schools are reimbursed when a child is certified after meals are served. - Families and students: Low-income households would get faster enrollment via required direct certification and eligibility that can be retroactive to the first day of the school year. The bill forbids physically segregating or overtly identifying children, using debt collectors, or withholding food or educational opportunities because of unpaid meal fees. - Local educational agencies and school food authorities: Schools would be required to implement direct certification and must revise previously submitted meal claims to reflect retroactive eligibility so they can seek reimbursement for meals served earlier in the school year. - Communications and collection rules: The bill allows sealed letters to parents about unpaid fees but bars child-facing communications that stigmatize students and limits collection activities tied to the child.

## Cosponsors (45)

- Rep. Barragán, Nanette Diaz [D-CA-44] (D-CA), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bishop, Sanford D. [D-GA-2] (D-GA), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Brownley, Julia [D-CA-26] (D-CA), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7] (D-IN), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Carter, Troy A. [D-LA-2] (D-LA), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick, Sheila [D-FL-20] (D-FL), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Clarke, Yvette D. [D-NY-9] (D-NY), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Correa, J. Luis [D-CA-46] (D-CA), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Davis, Danny K. [D-IL-7] (D-IL), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. DeSaulnier, Mark [D-CA-10] (D-CA), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Espaillat, Adriano [D-NY-13] (D-NY), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Evans, Dwight [D-PA-3] (D-PA), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Garcia, Robert [D-CA-42] (D-CA), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Jackson, Jonathan L. [D-IL-1] (D-IL), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Jayapal, Pramila [D-WA-7] (D-WA), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" [D-GA-4] (D-GA), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Kelly, Robin L. [D-IL-2] (D-IL), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Khanna, Ro [D-CA-17] (D-CA), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lee, Summer L. [D-PA-12] (D-PA), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McGovern, James P. [D-MA-2] (D-MA), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Moore, Gwen [D-WI-4] (D-WI), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Mullin, Kevin [D-CA-15] (D-CA), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, Alexandria [D-NY-14] (D-NY), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Peters, Scott H. [D-CA-50] (D-CA), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Plaskett, Stacey E. [D-VI-At Large] (D-VI), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2] (D-WI), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Pressley, Ayanna [D-MA-7] (D-MA), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ramirez, Delia C. [D-IL-3] (D-IL), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Salinas, Andrea [D-OR-6] (D-OR), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9] (D-IL), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Simon, Lateefah [D-CA-12] (D-CA), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Smith, Adam [D-WA-9] (D-WA), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Stansbury, Melanie A. [D-NM-1] (D-NM), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Takano, Mark [D-CA-39] (D-CA), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12] (D-MI), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tokuda, Jill N. [D-HI-2] (D-HI), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Velázquez, Nydia M. [D-NY-7] (D-NY), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Watson Coleman, Bonnie [D-NJ-12] (D-NJ), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Wilson, Frederica S. [D-FL-24] (D-FL), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Kamlager-Dove, Sydney [D-CA-37] (D-CA), 2025-10-08T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Johnson, Julie [D-TX-32] (D-TX), 2025-10-08T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Pingree, Chellie [D-ME-1] (D-ME), 2025-11-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Thompson, Mike [D-CA-4] (D-CA), 2025-11-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Chu, Judy [D-CA-28] (D-CA), 2025-11-18T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Automatic school meal approval and backdating: benefit, medium. If enacted, schools would have to act when a child's household owes a week or more in meal fees. The district would try to directly certify the child for free meals. If that is not possible, the district would send an application and encourage the family to apply in writing and by speaking with the…
- Stop shaming kids over meal debt: benefit, medium. This bill would bar schools from singling out kids over meal debt. Schools could not take away served food, separate kids, or use tokens, lists, or announcements to mark them. When collecting, schools could not talk to the child about the debt, withhold grades or activities, or use debt collectors.…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-hr-15: Equality Act
- 119-hr-1589: American Dream and Promise Act of 2025
- 119-hr-17: Paycheck Fairness Act
- 119-hr-18: Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-5655 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5655)

## Related
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-51)
- [119-hr-15: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-15)
- [119-hr-1589: American Dream and Promise Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1589)
- [119-hr-17: Paycheck Fairness Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-17)
- [119-hr-18: Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-18)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5655 (as of 2026-04-21).